Listen – a lot of people are completely dismissing the French-Canadian challenger because she wasn’t viewed as a title challenger heading into her fight with Moroz (she wasn’t even ranked, actually) and Jedrzejczyk is a killer, but Letourneau is tough as nails and won’t back down from a fight.
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The native of Poland ascended to the top of the division in March, when she won the title from Carla Esparza, then cemented her standing with a blistering performance against Jessica Penne in Berlin three months later. “I am Joanna Champion”. This is ever-apparent when she has her opponents hurt against the cage and barrages them with punches. While Letourneau will have a reach and weight advantage, she is somewhat of a surprise opponent for Jedrzejczyk, who was initially expected to rematch Claudia Gadelha in her next title defense.
The way she picked apart both females put each in a position where they would have to win four or five fights in impressive fashion before you could fathom matching them up again. The Quebec veteran has paid her dues in the sport since 2007, and after running off three UFC wins, including an upset of previously unbeaten Maryna Moroz in August, she was tasked with challenging Jedrzejczyk for the strawweight crown, and the champ believes she earned that fight.
She really is a treat to watch and there is no reason to believe that she’s going to give up belt any time soon.
What can be said about Jedrzejczyk that hasn’t already been repeated a few thousand times in pre-fight advertisement? Additionally, Letourneau is known for her kickboxing, which carried her to victory over Moroz in her last bout. It’s not about how many Twitter followers you have or interviews you do.
Early in the first round, Letourneau dropped Moroz with a counter-right that set the tone for the rest of the fight. Listen, she’s never fought with someone like me, who can exchange with her. So these girls were so focused on one way because they only had one way they could win that fight. The UFC’s women’s strawweight champion also has perhaps the most important trait to becoming a superstar, charisma. If Jedrzejczyk performs impressively in this bout, she could become a far more main stream fighter.
On the other hand, a loss would be devastating for the Polish striker. Her next fight will likely provide the answer to that question.
As is the case with an massive underdog, this is an equally large opportunity for Letourneau. At the moment, the 115-pound female division is wide open, so this is the time to make a title run and steal the belt.
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Following the 40-minute UFC 193 Embedded special that UFC released recently, the company has started churning out the regular real-life “Embedded” videos for this Saturday’s UFC 193: Rousey vs. Holm event. Which woman will leave with the title?
